Look For The Girl With The Broken Smile
by emptyheart-chippedcup
Summary: Everyone has scars, but some should stay hidden. Some symbolise war and bravery, whereas others show signs of weakness. What happens when Emily's scars are finally found?  Minor trigger warning.


_**I'm on a roll this week. 2 stories! Whoo! I need to try and get back into writing, even if I don't have many readers. This story does have a trigger warning but I don't think it should be a particularly major warning.**_

* * *

><p><em>Beauty queen of only 18, she had some problems with herself – Maroon 5<em>

* * *

><p>Emily Prentiss had spent her entire life wondering what people thought of her.<p>

She was a self-conscious teenager at high school, always wanting to please everybody, including her pressurising mother, and even began to harm herself in more ways than one. No one ever noticed, though. No one ever cared about her.

Even when she joined the BAU, she continued to harm herself because she felt as if she didn't fit in with the team; she felt as if no one wanted her around. In the back of her mind, she knew that wasn't true, but that was a thought that was pushed aside by a more dominant thought, making her think that she wasn't worth the hassle.

No one ever saw the scars and deep cuts lined up on her left forearm, hidden easily by the long sleeved shirts she wore to work every day. She never thought anyone would notice; she didn't want anyone to notice. She didn't want to come across as weak, but she wasn't going to be able to hide it forever.

After a long case, the team would usually go out for a drink to unwind and just relax. On one specific night, Emily was feeling unusually good about herself. She was sure no one would be able to see the scars in the darkness of the club they were heading out to, and so she wore a sleeveless black dress, with a rose appliqué covering the top. Her dark hair fell in curls around her shoulder, and she completed her look with a pair of black heels. She looked as beautiful as ever and she knew she'd probably turn a few heads.

She headed out to the club in a taxi, arriving just 10 minutes after she'd left her apartment. She paid the driver before heading into the club, smiling when she saw her whole team sitting at a table already. She headed over to them, greeting them all casually as she slid into a booth next to Aaron whose eyes fell to her legs, seeming uncharacteristically long. He quickly looked away when he realised he was staring, not wanting anyone to notice he was watching the raven haired beauty.

After comments were made about how beautiful Emily looked, conversation began to arise about drinks and dancing. Dave got the first round, the men all ordering beers, the women gin and tonics, and soon, the whole team were laughing and talking about anything that came to them. These were there favourite days; they all loved spending time with each other outside of work and tried to do it as much as they could, which was hard considering their jobs.

When they all began to settle, enjoying how the night was going so far, they all began to do their own thing. JJ dragged Spencer off for a dance, Penelope dragging Morgan along too as Dave headed off to the bar to flirt with a blonde he'd had his eye on for a while. Emily and Hotch were left on their in the booth, and they began to gradually make conversation; about Jack, about Sergio and about the previous case, as much as they'd tried to avoid it.

It was all going smoothly until Aaron saw something strange, his eyes falling to Emily's arm and then widening in shock at the revelation. Emily was completely oblivious to what was happening as she watched JJ dancing with a reluctant Spencer, a smile on her face. She froze when she felt him run his fingers down her arm, unable to look at him.

"Emily?" he whispered softly, barely audible over the blaring music. She swallowed thickly when she realised she'd been found out. She never wanted anyone, especially him, to see it. When she was finally able to comprehend what was happening, she stood from her seat and quickly ran towards the bathroom, earning concerned looks from the other 5 members of her team who were standing around.

* * *

><p>Emily had been standing in the bathroom for a good 5 minutes when someone finally walked in, and she turned to see the concerned look of Aaron Hotchner. She knew she must have looked like hell, her cheeks stained with mascara, her nose red, along with her eyes. She eyed him warily as he stepped closer to her before hesitantly pulling her into his arms, hugging her tightly as she broke down again, her own arms wrapping around him.<p>

After another few minutes of Emily sobbing into Aaron's chest, she took a step back and turned away from him, dabbing at her cheeks with a wet paper towel to try and get rid of the stains. She could see him through the mirror, watching her intently. She let out a shaky breath as she stopped what she was doing, clearing her throat before beginning to mutter.

"You don't know what it's like trying to be me. I don't actually know what's wrong with me, but something in my mind is making me act all crazy. I don't feel beautiful or worthy of the love I get from you guys. Sometimes I don't even think any of you care or you would have noticed sooner."

Aaron stared at her with wide eyes, trying to hold back his anger. How could she think he didn't care about her? He knew when she was having an off day just by a change in her actions, and she was all he thought about for the rest of the day. He worried about her, willing her to be okay. He didn't actually know what she was going through, but he knew something was wrong with her.

When he managed to stop himself from yelling at her, he stepped closer to her and turned her to face him before lifting her and setting her on the counter in front of him. He stared at her for a moment, brushing her hair back from her face with his hand before hesitantly glancing down at her arm again. The scars were a lot clearer in the light, and he winced as he thought about what she had gone through to get them. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been good.

"Emily, I know I can't make things better," He let out a sigh as he thought of how to continue before eventually doing so. "But I need you to know that I will always be here for you. I need you to know that you can talk to me when you feel like doing this." He lifted her left arm into his hand, inspecting it as tears began to cloud his vision. A shaky breath escaped his dry lips before he was finally able to whisper, albeit brokenly "I can't lose you."

Emily looked up at him when she heard the change in his tone, her heart shattering into a million tiny pieces when she saw the hurt in his eyes. She never thought she would make anyone feel as broken as he looked right now, and she hated herself for it. She shook her head as she wrapped her arms back around him, his own arms wrapping around her waist.

"I'm so sorry, Aaron. I never meant for it to go this far." She sobbed quietly against his neck, feeling his salty tears fall onto the top of her head as he held her tightly, scared she'll disappear if he let go. This is how she wanted it to be all the time; her breaking down and him around to pick up the pieces.

"Come home with me tonight." He mumbled as he pulled back to look at her. All he got in return was a small nod, but that was good enough for him. He took her hand and helped her down from the counter before leading her out of the bathroom, through the crowded club and out to his car, neither of them saying a word to the rest of the team.

Soon, they were in the car and heading back to his, neither of them knowing what the night would bring.

* * *

><p>It took a whole thirty minutes for them to get back to Aaron's, neither of them saying a word the whole time. Emily continued to stay lost in her own world as Aaron climbed out of the car and walked round to the side she was sitting on, opening the door for her before helping her out of the car. They walked silently into his house, him shutting and locking the door behind them as she headed over to the couch to make herself at home in the oh-so-familiar house.<p>

He joined her just seconds later, watching as she kicked off her heels before settling back into the comfy couch with an exasperated sigh. He kept glancing down at her arm every now and then, the action not going unnoticed by her. She knew he'd be like this, curious and full of questions, but she wasn't in the mood to answer any. Maybe tomorrow, but not right now. She was far too tired.

Apparently he was able to sense exactly how she was feeling and so he stood from the couch and lifted her into his strong arms, ignoring her moans of protest. He carried her up the stairs and through to the bedroom before finally setting her on her aching feet. He was able to get her dress off without any problems and helping her into one of his t-shirts was just as easy.

He let her settle into the bed as he changed into his own night clothes, not even caring that she was lying on the side that he usually slept in. He just wanted her to comfortable. When he was dressed once again, he climbed in next to her and pulled her gently against his chest.

He debated with himself for a moment as to whether he should set the alarm, but eventually decided against him. He'd call in sick in the morning; both of them needed a day off. Neither of them said a word as they both fell into a peaceful slumber, both knowing that there were a lot of things to be said the following morning.

But they'd deal with that when they came to it.

* * *

><p><em>A really strong woman accepts the war she went through and is ennobled by her scars – Carly Simon<em>

* * *

><p><strong>So, yeah. That's that. Please review. Also, if you have any prompts for me, please let me know. I'm always open to ideas. Thanks for reading!<strong>

_**-**_**Leanne**


End file.
